Beijing shut all schools and cancelled at least 1,225 flights on Wednesday, as the city registered 31 new coronavirus cases, news wires reported. City officials have urged residents not to leave the city, and several provinces have quarantined travellers from Beijing after 137 new cases were confirmed in the capital in recent days. The new cases have raised fears of a second wave of infections as China had largely brought its domestic outbreak under control.

Beijing reintroduced on Tuesday lockdown measures and kicked off mass testing after a fresh cluster of novel coronavirus cases emerged from the city's largest wholesale food market, news wires reported. The Chinese capital registered 36 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number to 79 since a locally transmitted infection was reported on 12 June for the first time in nearly two months.

North Korea’s military on Tuesday threatened to move back into zones that were demilitarized under inter-Korean peace agreements, news wires reported. The General Staff of the Korean People’s Army said it’s reviewing a ruling party recommendation to advance into unspecified border areas that had been demilitarized under agreements with the South, which would “turn the front line into a fortress.” Later on the day North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office building just north of the heavily armed border with South Korea.

After weeks with almost no new coronavirus infections, Chinese capital of Beijing has recorded dozens of new cases in recent days, all linked to a major wholesale food market, news wires reported. There had been almost no new cases in the city for almost two months until 12 June, and since then the total number has climbed to 51

Japan plans to start allowing a limited number of foreign travellers as part of a gradual move towards normalisation after its months-long coronavirus state of emergency, local media reported on Thursday. Authorities may begin allowing 250 travellers per day from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Vietnam, Kyodo News reported, citing government sources.

Japan's powerful lower house of parliament approved an emergency budget worth nearly $300 billion Wednesday, doubling the scale of measures to pep up the world's third-biggest economy after the coronavirus tipped it into recession.

North Korea announced it is shutting down a telephone hotline with South Korea over a leaflet campaign by defectors from the isolated state, news wires reported.

China's exports and imports fell in May as the economic slowdown abroad started to take its toll, and after a surprise jump driven by increased demand for anti-epidemic supplies, official data showed Sunday.

Japan has decided not join the United States, Britain and others in issuing a statement scolding China for imposing a new security law, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, citing officials from countries involved.

Hong Kong’s legislature has passed today the controversial bill criminalising insult of the Chinese national anthem by a comfortable majority, despite months of wrangling over fears of curbs to free expression. Offenders who are now found guilty of deliberately altering March of the Volunteers risk fines up to HK$50,000 or three years in prison.